This invention relates to a urinal and hand wash faucet combined in a single lavatory fixture with a common drain. In particular, this invention relates to a combined urinal and hand wash faucet that automatically dispenses wash water through the faucet when the user's hands are placed proximate the faucet, and, that automatically flushes the urinal when the user has moved away from the urinal after completing his urination and hand wash.
The combined urinal and hand faucet fixture is particularly designed for public restrooms where it is desirable to efficiently maintain a high degree cleanliness. In the past, self flushing urinals have substantially improved the maintenance of a clean urinal by requiring that the urinal flushes each and every time after a use. Unfortunately, the user must then walk to a hand wash sink to complete this bodily function in a sanitary and conscious manner. However, frequently in a public restroom there may be few hand wash sinks available for the number of bathroom users. This deficiency is particularly acute in high traffic areas such as airports and other modern transportation facilities. In such facilities, groups of patrons are discharged at periodic times that cause the capacity of a bathroom facility to be taxed to its limit. Additionally, even when the bathroom task has been completed by a hand wash at conventional sink station, the faucet knobs may become contaminated and the sink station may become wet and littered. Furthermore, frequently travelers are burdened with luggage that is awkward to move from a urinal station to a hand wash station.
As an improvement in such environments, the hand wash sink may include a faucet that automatically dispenses warm water when the hands are placed proximate the faucet. While this substantially improves the sanitation of using a separate urinal and sink, this does not eliminate the problem of a wet and littered sink station. Most importantly, however, is the inefficient use of valuable floor space in providing multiple sinks to match the capacity of users predictably using a bathroom primarily for urination.
Although it may not be psychologically acceptable at first for individuals to use the urinal fixture for both urinating and washing one's hands, separation of a wash station from a urination station by a suitable divider in a combined unit will assist in encouraging use. Additionally, the automatic discharge of the wash water without the user having to touch the fixture is certainly convincing as to the sanitation of the device. When the user neither has to touch the faucet to wash his hands or touch a flushing handle to flush the urinal, a unitary fixture makes practical sense. Additionally, a soap dispenser can be conveniently located on the fixture with the soap discharge proximate the faucet for convenient use. Once the psychological barrier has been broken, the sanitation is improved by greater use of a hand wash facility that does not become littered by frequent use.